Though his shy personality might not be typical of the sporting world, Andres Iniesta, the 28-year-old central midfielder of Barcelona has rapidly become one of the most respected soccer players around. Born in Albacete, Spain, in 1984, Iniesta initially wanted to join Real Madrid, but enlisted at Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of 12 as his parents believed the Spanish capital to be an unsafe place for him. At 16 Iniesta was invited to train for his first team, where his versatile skills on the pitch led Josep Guardiola, Barcelona’s then midfielder and recent manager, to tell his teammate Xavi Hernandez: “You’re going to retire me, but this kid’s going to retire us all.”